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How to make a deliciously easy French toast casserole, a make ahead recipe that's perfect for a crowd and makes a quick breakfast on busy mornings.

Sometimes on weekends, and especially on holidays and birthdays, we'll make blueberry buttermilk pancakes or our favorite recipe for cinnamon French toast.

A French toast casserole is a win win for those special times when we don't necessarily feel like going to all the work of making actual French toast.

A good French toast bake pairs really well with eggs and bacon, or better yet, eggs and sausage. It adds a little sweet treat to breakfast time.

While you can make this overnight French toast without the topping, it won't be nearly as good. The topping is super quick to mix up, and you can just crumble it right onto the casserole before baking.

My family loves a deliciously easy breakfast casserole, don't you? Especially when it involves maple syrup, brown sugar, and cinnamon.

Want a more hands off approach to this recipe? Make Crock Pot French toast casserole instead! And my kids' absolute favorites are brioche French toast casserole and blueberry French toast casserole.

WHERE CAN I FIND THE PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD?

If you’d rather skip all of my cooking tips, important cooking info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the delicious recipe for French toast casserole – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card with a longer how to video.

INGREDIENTS YOU'LL NEED:

• Sandwich bread – You can use your favorite bread, and we'll talk more about that below.
• Pecans
• Large eggs
• Milk
• Real maple syrup
• Vanilla extract
• Salt
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Salted butter
• Light brown sugar

Remember, all of the ingredient amounts you’ll need are in the printable recipe card below.

KITCHEN TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT YOU'LL NEED:

9″x13″ Baking Dish

Mixing Bowl or Liquid Measuring Cup and Whisk

Pastry Blender

Reusable Food Wraps – for covering and chilling.

Aluminum Foil – for baking.

WHAT BREAD SHOULD I USE TO MAKE AN OVERNIGHT FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE?

You can use sourdough, Texas toast, challah bread, French bread, Kings Hawaiian Rolls or Bread, brioche, cinnamon swirl bread, crescent rolls, or really any other type of fresh baked bread.

I used a regular loaf of plain old butter bread. Butter bread is a type of sandwich bread (or white bread) you can find at just about any store.

This recipe is simple, so you can hopefully either use what you already have or easily find what you need while you're at the store.

TIPS FOR HOW TO MAKE AN EASY FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE

This is a fairly simple overnight French toast recipe. There are really only 3 steps (4 if you count the topping) to getting this casserole ready to go in the oven.

1. First cube the bread and place it in a greased 9×13 baking dish, along with the pecans. You can layer the bread cubes and pecans so everything's blended well in the dish.

2. Then whisk together the eggs, milk, real maple syrup, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

3. Then pour the egg mixture over the bread and pecans. Make sure all the bread is good and soaked.

4. Cover and chill in the fridge for a good 4 to 6 hours or more. Overnight is best.
5. Before baking, mix up your topping and just crumble it on as best you can. It's a really moist mixture, so it's more like clumps of cinnamon brown sugar. Then just bake.

And that's it! It's easy peasy to make.

CAN I LEAVE OUT THE PECANS? OR USE SOMETHING ELSE?

I get it. Not everyone's a fan of nuts. You can totally leave out the pecans altogether.

OR you can add a different kind of nut like walnuts, black walnuts, or almonds.

DO I REALLY HAVE TO CHILL THE CASSEROLE OVERNIGHT?

While it's best if you do, you don't have to. But let me just say, that the flavors will be at their best after chilling for at least a few hours.

If you're in a hurry, didn't have time to plan ahead, and need to make it now, that's ok. Just mix it up, make sure the bread is moistened well with the egg mixture, add the topping, and bake it.

CAN I MAKE THIS FRENCH TOAST BAKE GLUTEN-FREE?

Yes, you can. Just substitute your favorite gluten-free bread in place of the regular sandwich bread included in the ingredients.

WAYS TO GET CREATIVE WITH THIS RECIPE

Readers have given us a lot of creative ideas for ways to really switch up this recipe and add your own touch to this sweet breakfast casserole.

• Try baking it in a bundt pan, inverting it after baking, to make it even prettier.
• Top with a powdered sugar glaze instead of, or in addition to, the brown sugar topping.
• Add raisins or dried cranberries when you add the bread and pecans.
• Add fresh strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries.
• Use almond milk, or other non-dairy milk, instead of whole milk.
• Speaking of milk, use eggnog in place of milk, especially around the holidays.
• Try adding bacon… Because everything's better with bacon!

CAN I FREEZE FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE?

You can freeze a French toast bake. While I recommend covering it well and freezing it after it's already been baked, you can also freeze it before baking (though I'd add the topping later before actually baking it).

Keep in mind it'll keep longer in the freezer if it's already been cooked.

Just be sure you have plenty of time for it to thaw and re-heat when taking it out of the freezer. Allow time for it to thaw in the fridge; then cook or re-heat.

MORE FRENCH TOAST RECIPES FOR YOU TO ENJOY

April J. Harris has a delicious recipe for blueberry bread and butter pudding. And cook up a batch of make ahead stuffed French toast with Mommy Hates Cooking.

Check out all our breakfast recipes for more easy breakfast ideas.

GET THE PRINTABLE RECIPE

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